- “A moment later she rushed out into the dusk, waving her hands and shouting-before he could move his door the business was over” (138).
- “He murdered her” (159).
- “By half past two he was in west egg, where he asked someone the way to Gatsby’s house. So by that time he knew Gatsby’s name” (161).
- “Then he gave instructions that the open car wasnt to be taken out under any circumstances-and this was strange because the front right fender needed repair” (161).
Syntax is the ability to convey a message through sentence structure. Fitzgerald uses an incredible amount of dashes in his work, which its self can indicate what he feels is the interruption of the traditional American dream due to corruption and greed. Specifically relating to the murder of Myrtle, the first cited example is significant because the dash signifies a major interruption, one that could be interpreted as the first segment being life, while the segment after the dash portraying death. Further building on the seriousness of death, Fitzgerald writes a very short, telegraphic sentence that very clearly lays out the seriousness of the situation, “He murdered her” (159). Another example of this deadly syntax is when Wilson figures out that the yellow car is indeed Gatsby’s. Although Gatsby was not actually the murderer, Wilson is only tracking down the car, and when he discovers it is indeed Gatsby’s he shoots Gatsby while he is lounging in the pool. It is the second sentence, “So by that time he knew Gatsby’s name” (161)that is the most significant in that its simple structure allows the reader to really focus in on the frank nature of the dire circumstance that Gatsby is now in. In an ironic twist, Gatsby declines to take the car out because it poses a risk to his life if someone does recognize it, yet the car needs a repair to the front right fender. Ultimately Wilson was able to correctly identify the car because of the indentation on the fender caused by it striking his wife. Which is somewhat of a Catch 22.
I found your observation of how the author utilizes dashes in his novel to portray how the traditional American dream is interrupted by greed and corruption to be very impressive and insightful. I noticed how the author uses dashes to emphasize an interruption, but i never considered how his use of dashes emphasized an overall theme. I also appreciate the irony you discovered with Gatsby's car. When I read the novel, that never occurred to me. I enjoyed Fitzgerald's use of abrupt sentences, for it caught my attention as I read and emphasized key points in the novel. These sudden, short sentences always kept me interested.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your observation about the murder and the case behind it, how you noted that the short sentence structure in fact paralleled the emotion and drama within that moment that he knew it was Gatsby. Your analysis shows that you read this story and that you took a moment to understand the purpose in each of the authors writing techniques and I believe that your approach was very educated.
ReplyDeleteIt is my personal belief that perhaps Mr. Fitzgerald did not mean to signify the entirety of the American dream and its decadence into his dashes–really, it seems to me more that he was only trying to sound elevated and versed (which he does a pretty good job at, anyways). But the possibility is an interesting one, and I like your thinking outside-the-box.
ReplyDeleteI, too, appreciated the short and simple sentences thrown in among the longer ones–and I agree that they directed the reader's attention.
on an ending note, a "catch-22" situation is, I think, a situation you cannot escape from because of conflicting conditions–I like the allusion, but I'm not sure the definition is apropos.